After All These Years
by Kyuubi Wiz
Summary: Sakura, Shaoran, and Tomoyo are having fun during their summer break... But what will happen when Sakura's gift to Shaoran brings an unexpected twist? Find out in this romantic adventure comedy.


**After All These Years…**

A Sakura and Shaoran Story

_Chapter 1- Rain of the Cherry Blossoms_

_The Daijouji Chronicles- Entry 1_

_My name is Daijouji Tomoyo. I am seventeen years old. Today marks the beginning of summer vacation for Seijou High students, as well as my first entry in this journal, which I am entitling 'The Daijouji Chronicles'. Isn't it cute?_

_This is a very special summer for many reasons. But the most important of those reasons, I think, is that Li Shaoran is coming to visit after many years of being unable to, either because his elder sisters were to be wedded or were expecting children, both family events that required his presence in Hong Kong. Of course, my loyal Sakura-chan has been exchanging nonstop letters with him after confessing her feelings for him way back in the sixth grade. If I know Li-kun, his feelings for her have not ebbed away, either. So here we are, awaiting his triumphant return. I'm so happy, because Sakura-chan has allowed me to design her clothing for that day and to film "Sakura-chan Meets Li-kun at the Airport"! I can't wait!! Although I must say that that goes at least double for Sakura-chan…_

Kinomoto Sakura turned in the mirror as she admired the outfit Tomoyo had put her in. It consisted of loose, khaki capris pants reminiscent of the long, skirt-like pants often associated with swordsman, and a tucked-in sleeveless blouse that matched Sakura's name with its soft pink coloring. Sakura's hair, which was now waist length (save for the bangs), was kept up with a decorative clip with a faux cherry blossom and red ribbons on it. "Wow, Tomoyo-chan! This is really nice! Usually you don't design clothing like this… Where did you find the inspiration?"

"I was going through old movies, and watched the one that you were in with Tsukishiro-san and your brother!" Tomoyo explained as Sakura fell over in exasperation.

"Y-You still have that..?" Sakura asked.

"Of course. It's my treasure. Right, Kero-chan?" Tomoyo smiled at the small 'plush toy' eating his way through a cake.

"YEAH! Just like all of our Card movies!!" Kero managed to say between mouthfuls.

"K-Kero-chan…" Sakura stuttered, still unable to believe how much the little creature consumed.

"OH! Sakura-chan, we should leave now so we're not late! Do you have 'it'?" Tomoyo asked, knowing that Sakura knew what 'it' was, but Kero did not. Sakura's face flushed to match the ribbons hanging in her hair.

"Y-yes…" she nodded, ignoring Kero's inquiries as to what 'it' was.

"Oh, my…" Tomoyo murmured, her brow furrowing in sorrow. Shaoran's flight had arrived an hour ago, but he had not shown up yet. "I wonder what happened to him..?" The girl lowered her camcorder, not wanting to record any more of her friend's sadness. Sakura had at first been very excited and was jumping up and down to try to spot Shaoran as quickly as possible. After ten minutes, she stopped jumping. Twenty minutes after that, she began staring at the floor. Fifteen minutes later, Sakura took a seat, looking as if she were about to cry. Her hair was becoming heavy in its clip, and it wouldn't be long before it fell out completely. Tomoyo looked around, as if doing so would make her Shaoran appear. If Sakura cried because he had been negligent, then Tomoyo would never be able to forgive him.

Suddenly, Tomoyo heard frantic footsteps and heavy breathing usually associated with someone who is about to miss their flight. However, the exit gate was not a place where someone would rush, and it really wasn't possible that someone would be hurrying unless they were late for a meeting. Curious, Tomoyo turned to see none other than Shaoran stumbling as he looked around the lobby for the person he wanted to see. Delighted, Tomoyo raised her camera and recorded Shaoran as he looked left, then right as he searched for sweet Sakura. _He must not recognize her, because it's been so long. He probably expects her to still have the face of a child, and not a grown woman. And of course, he's used to her looking so cheerful, _Tomoyo thought to herself as she continued to record Shaoran. Then she smiled, for as she had thought, Sakura spotted Shaoran first.

"Sh-Shaoran-kun..?" she called softly. His head turned her way. Now sure it was him, Sakura practically leaped out of her chair, dropping her hair clip as she did so. "_SHAORAN-KUN!!!!!!_"

Shaoran looked very surprised as the girl with long hair called him by name. _Can it..? No. She has short hair…_ Even as he thought it, Shaoran doubted his thoughts. He blushed red as he felt himself become locked in a tight embrace, and grew surprised when he felt his shoulder where the girl's head was resting grow damp.

"Shaoran-kun…" she cried into his shoulder. "How come you were so late..?" she asked.

"Er… You wouldn't be… Kinomoto Sakura..?"

"Of course I am!! How could you ask such a thing?!" Sakura stared up at him with unmistakable green eyes, liquefied by tears.

"You… grew your hair out…" he explained dumbly.

"Huh? Oh… I guess it fell out of the clip. Sorry. I asked Tomoyo-chan to put it up specifically so you would recognize me, but I guess it didn't go well." Sakura smiled weakly and dashed her tears. "You still haven't answered me; how come you were so late, Shaoran-kun?"

"Er—Well, something came up last minute, and I had to take the next flight because of it. I'm sorry I didn't have time to call you." Shaoran blushed a darker red. He didn't want to give away all of his surprise for Sakura. "Sakura… I—"

"Eh?! This can't be that same kid back from when you were in primary school..?" a familiar voice sounded behind Shaoran.

"O-Oniichan!!" Sakura cried, turning bright red and releasing Shaoran's waist. Kinomoto Toya leaned over and propped his elbow on Shaoran's shoulder.

"I suppose this is the reason you've been getting so excited about vacation? Tch. Well, how well would you expect a monster to do in the love department anyway..?"

Sakura flushed deeper. "I-I'M NOT—"

"SAKURA IS _NOT _A MONSTER!!" Shaoran met Toya's lazy glare with his own fiery one. He wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulder, perhaps despite her brother's obvious dislike of their relationship. "Sakura is Sakura."

Toya regarded Shaoran seriously for a moment. He then sighed and moved away from him. "Well, whatever… Have it your way, Kid." Sakura's blush had died down, and her head was clearer now.

"Oniichan, what are you doing here, anyway..?" she asked.

"Haven't you been paying attention? I told you, I'm taking a business trip to Kyoto this week. Yuki would have liked to go with me, but I told him to stay here because he had to watch over you." Toya placed a hand on his hip. "But, I suppose it's too much of me to ask for you to remember a silly detail like that. Well, see you later." As if he had not gone out of his way to annoy his little sister, he calmly walked back to his place in the airport security line.

"I-I'm sorry… I suppose he always did that, but I never expected… Here… He must have been watching from somewhere." Sakura silently apologized with her eyes.

"I-I-It's fine!" Shaoran stammered. "I've always been at odds with him, anyway, so that was okay. And besides, he needs to stop calling you 'monster'…" he muttered.

Sakura smiled warmly. "Thank you, Shaoran-kun…"

"Li-kun, it's been a long time!" Tomoyo greeted him as she announced her presence.

"D-D-Daijouji?!" Shaoran blushed. "You were watching...?"

"Of course! I recorded the whole thing on my camcorder."

"Well, I owed Tomoyo-chan a favor, so I let her tag along, too. Is that okay..?" Sakura asked.

"…Do as you like." Shaoran turned his gaze down and blushed. "Er… Sakura… I—"

"Oh, my! I had a reservation! We have to leave to leave now if we want to make it on time!!" Tomoyo cried. "It seems all we've been doing today is running late!" She grabbed Shaoran's hand. Shaoran, who was holding Sakura, pulled her after him so they were running in a chain.

"Thank you very much for holding our reservation!" Tomoyo said as she bowed to the waiter who seated Sakura and Shaoran, then Tomoyo separately. "If I may order now, I'd like a glass of ice water with a seafood platter, please." The waiter nodded and headed toward the kitchen with her order. Tomoyo sighed. _Li-kun and Sakura-chan can be alone, now, _she thought. _I really am very happy they saved my reservation!_ Tomoyo, whose mother was the president of a large toy company, had a well known name, so reservations for Daijouji were not taken lightly.

Tomoyo sat at a table by herself; Sakura and Shaoran were seated not too far away from her. Tomoyo turned on her camcorder and placed it on the table, adjusting the view so that both her friends could be seen on the screen. Sakura had placed a small but sensitive microphone under a napkin, at Tomoyo's request.

"Tomoyo-chan asked me to…" Sakura explained again.

"It's fine… I don't think I could ever picture that girl getting tired of filming you." Shaoran blushed. "Um, I… Sakura…"

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked, still her ultra-dense self.

"No, no! It's not that!" Shaoran reached into his pocket. "It's just that… I… About you… Sakura… I…" His blush reached an ultimate red. "I want to formally ask your father… But… Would you come to Hong Kong to live with me?!" he finally blurted, and rather loudly at that.

"….Phwee?" Sakura cooed softly. The question finally registered. "WH-WHAT?!"

Shaoran hunched his shoulders. "Y-You don't have to… But… Mother said it would be alright, and that it would be good for training your powers, not to mention that our family wants to become familiar with the magic of the Sakura Cards, since they were once Clow Cards… And Meilin wants to see you… Well, it wouldn't be until after you were finished with high school-- Why are you laughing?" It was true that Sakura had begun laughing halfway through Shaoran's embarrassed run-on explanation, but she was very happy.

"Of course I'd like to, Shaoran-kun! Thank you!" Sakura had on one of her huge, ecstatic smiled that always made Shaoran blush. With the slightest of smiles on his face, he gently placed a gold key on the table, within Sakura's reach. She gingerly picked it up. "…Phwee?" she asked after a moment of examination.

"It's a house key… My house key. I had a copy made after I got Mother's permission," Shaoran explained. Sakura blushed.

"Wow! You really plan ahead, Shaoran-kun!" Sakura commented. She left the key in front of her. "Actually, I have something for you, too. I don't know how well it's made, yet, because it isn't something I can use. It's just for Shaoran-kun." Shaoran watched in confusion and wonder as Sakura picked up a small back and dug around in it for a moment. "Found it! Here." On the table, she placed a facedown card with an odd looking key on it. The card was green, and the key resembled a dagger.

"Th-This is--!!" Shaoran's eyes were open very wide, and he was reluctant to touch the gift Sakura had made for him. "You're giving this to me..?!"

"Yup!" Sakura smiled and nodded. "It's a Shaoran Card and your very own key! That's why I can't use it. Because you're from Hong Kong, and I remember that you signed your name on the Clow Cards in Chinese, I made the writing on the card in Chinese, too! Tomoyo helped me with that part. Oh! The spell to activate the key- 'O, key, which hides the powers of the Earth, show your true form before me! I, Shaoran, command you under our contract- Release!' It's similar to the spell that Eriol-kun and I use, but then again, the magic used is similar as well. …Is something wrong?" Sakura asked when Shaoran did not look very happy.

"No, of course not! But… To create something from nothing… It must have taken so much magic… I'm sorry…" Shaoran held the Card and Key lovingly, as if hurting them would hurt Sakura as well.

"Well, it wasn't easy to make something I wouldn't be able to use… But like I said, I got a lot of help from Tomoyo!" Sakura smiled.

"But--! You still…" Shaoran didn't understand that it wasn't as hard as he thought it was to make the Shaoran Cards.

"Oh… I guess I never told you how The Hope came to be The Hope. I combined The Nothing with a card I had created earlier—not two hours before you left for Hong Kong, actually." Sakura folded her hands under her chin, and Shaoran blushed at the memory. "I decided to call that card that no longer exists The Love, because I created it because of how I felt about you, Shaoran-kun. Oh, but anyway-- Your Card isn't the first card I've created on my own. And besides, Kero-chan, Yue-san, and Tomoyo-chan have been helping me increase my powers for a while now." Sakura tilted her head. "We researched all types of magic, and I decided that the Earth type of magic best fit you. That's why the Key hides the powers of the Earth. And because Chinese has so many characters and is confusing, I just decided to take a course on my own. If I study abroad in Hong Kong, then I'll get a chance to use it! Not that I didn't use it to name your Card…" Sakura blushed, feeling she was talking too much.

"You hide it well… How strong your powers are." Shaoran looked back at the card. His name in Chinese was in a banner across the top, and below that was a drawing of a planet with all the elements and sub elements coming from it. Below the picture in another banner were the Chinese characters for "The Nature". "This Card is very strong…" he commented.

"Well… Yeah, I suppose it is. Not as strong as Firey or Earthy, though, I think… I designed the card to increase your summoning power. Instead of using your talismans to summon wind, fire, thunder, or water, you can use your Key and your Card. I added other elements, though not as strong, according to the spell you used for you board—the one you used when searching for Clow Cards." Sakura suddenly sat up straighter and began waving her arms. "O-OF COURSE YOU CAN STILL USE YOUR OLD SWORD AND TALISMANS IF YOU WANT TO!!" she added.

Shaoran just smiled. "Thank you, Sakura," he said simply. "I'll use it whenever I need to." He stole another glance at the Card before tucking it away and slipping the cord with the Key on it around his neck. "This is the only Card so far?" he asked.

"Mm… Well, yes. I'm sorry there aren't more, but I wanted to see how that format worked, if it did at all, before making more. And I also think it would be best if you were there for the creation."

"I guess you're right. As you said, you can't use them, so it makes no sense to try to complete something if its intended user can't do anything with them." Shaoran leaned against the table. "That was smart of you."

"Thank you." Sakura smiled, making Shaoran blush. Just as she was about to add something, the waiter came by with a platter of food. He placed Shaoran's order of white rice, teriyaki steak, and, oddly, dango in front of him before serving Sakura her own dish of fried shrimp and Alfredo pasta.

"Itadakimasu!" they chorused before digging in. Sakura picked up a shrimp with her chopsticks. Fried shrimp had always been her favourite!

Shaoran took a bite of his steak, wistfully thinking about the Chinese cooking he was used to; he would have to become accustomed to Japanese food again. He glanced up, watching Sakura eat her food. It was obvious how much she liked the shrimp—there was only one left. She was about to raise it up to her lips, when she noticed Shaoran watching her. Sakura blushed.

"D-Did you want to try one, Shaoran-kun..?" she asked.

"Wh-what? I couldn't…" he argued feebly. "Aren't those your favourite..?"

"Well… well, yes. But you were watching, so I thought you might…" Sakura stopped, realizing she was rambling. She blushed.

"Ah! Don't—" _Don't what? _Shaoran asked himself. "D-Don't take it the wrong way…" he finished. Still blushing, Sakura picked up the shrimp with her chopsticks and held it out for Shaoran anyway. He went a deep red and tried taking it from her with his own chopsticks, only to find that his fingers wouldn't move them the way he wanted. Sakura only smiled and moved the fried shrimp closer to his mouth. Shaoran gulped, very red by now. Feeling very awkward and embarrassed, he ate the shrimp, unsure why this little event had become such a huge ordeal. Still, the fried shrimp was a morsel of food he could never forget.

_The Daijouji Chronicles- Entry 2_

_It's Tomoyo, again. I am so very happy! 'Li-kun and Sakura-chan at the Restaurant' was recorded successfully—and Sakura-chan was at her very cutest! I am sure that Li-kun was happy, as well. Sakura-chan has accepted his invitation to study with him in Hong Kong. This makes me sad, though. I have already been accepted into a university in Osaka, so I will not be able to go with her. However, it will make Sakura very happy to spend time with the Li clan—especially with Li-kun. We have promised to send each other letters, pictures, audio recordings, etc… So we will not be as lonely for each other. I think it will be good for Sakura to see new places, though, and it will be an all-around good experience for both. I think it will also help them decide where they want to live when they get married. I know neither of them has thought about it… But some things are inevitable, the continual love between Sakura-chan and Li-kun one of them. Eventually, one of them will realize this and ask the other. Of course, there is no doubt in my mind that Li-kun will figure this out first. Sakura-chan would never think so far ahead! But this is one of the qualities that makes her so very cute._

_Enough of my rambling. Sakura-chan is safe at home with her father, who is currently preparing to go on an excavation; he is thinking of retiring soon. Li-kun is staying in the guest wing of my house. He said that he would stay in his old apartment, but since Wei-san passed away, he would be all alone this time. I insisted that he stay with me, instead. This will make it convenient for when I take both their measurements for new Cardcaptor outfits. I want them both to approve what I design, and I think it would be best for us all to be together..._


End file.
